The present invention relates generally to improvements in surgical devices, and more particularly to an improved adjustable retractor, and a retractor with a liner and integral drape therefor for preventing contamination of incised cavity walls of various thicknesses during surgery.
The sides of an open incision, as well as matter such as body parts and fluids passing through the incision during surgery, are inherently susceptible to cross-contamination by infectious microorganisms or like matter. Therefore, extreme care is required to insure that any exposed fluids or tissues are completely isolated from each other.
Various designs have been proposed and utilized to prevent transmission of indigenous and exogenous contaminants to healthy viscera from infectious tissues or fluids. U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,644 by Berwyn M. Crook, filed Jun. 9, 1995, describes an incision liner and retractor device which can be installed in an incision, incrementally adjusted in place to form-fit a wide range of cavity wall thicknesses, and retract the sides of the incision apart for better access to the abdominal cavity. It employs a flexible impermeable liner of pliable plastic material with opposite ends terminating at inner and outer resilient O-rings. The inner O-ring is inserted in the cavity by squeezing it through the incision and allowing it to expand around the inner edge of the incision. The outer O-ring is then rolled down over the portion of the liner extending out of the incision until it is tight against the outer rim of the incision and the remaining portion is drawn taut and contiguous with the incision sides. The outer O-ring is generally oblong in cross-section to provide a positive gripping surface for the fingers to roll the outer O-ring more easily, especially when the liner or the surgeon""s gloves are slippery.
In many instances, a surgical drape may be first placed over the patient""s body before the incision liner and retractor device is installed. This combination further reduces the risk of cross-contamination between the open cavity and the skin around the incision, especially if an organ is brought outside the abdominal cavity to perform surgery on it. However, since the liner and drape are not integrally connected, there is no assurance that the drape may not slide from beneath the outer O-ring and leave the patient""s skin exposed in a most vulnerable region immediately adjacent to the incision.
Some prior art surgical protectors address this problem to a limited degree. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,397,692 to Creager, Jr. et al. discloses an incised surgical device in which a resilient ring cemented around the rim of a central aperture in a drape is squeezed together and expanded in the cavity to grip the incised edge of the peritoneum. The drape is bunched together where it passes through the incision and then spreads out over the body surface in radially diminishing wrinkles. U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,945 to Wenander similarly provides a surgical cloth with a semi-rigid thread hemmed in around a central aperture. A portion of the cloth around the aperture is gathered together and inserted in an incision, and then enlarged under the incision edge by increasing the length of thread around the aperture. Like the surgical device of Creager, Jr. et al., a wrinkled surface is created in the incision and around the operating site. Consequently, neither device provides a relatively smooth surface in the incision and around the wound where extracted viscera may be placed nor positive retraction of the sides of the incision. In addition, there is no means for preventing external portions of the drape from slipping in and out of the incision with movement of the surgeon""s hand.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved surgical retractor liner and integral drape which prevent exposure to cross-contamination by infectious fluids and solids between an incised cavity and the skin around the incision.
Another object of the invention is to provide a surgical retractor liner and integral drape assembly which interfaces smoothly and contiguously with the sides of an incision and with the skin around the incision.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a retractor liner with integral drape which can be easily installed and adjusted in place to fit a wide range of cavity wall thicknesses.
A further object is to provide a retractor liner which will positively insulate an incision from exposure to indigenous and exogenous contaminants and positively retract the sides of the incision for a wider opening to the cavity.
A further object of the present invention to provide a relatively low cost surgical retractor liner of simplified design which can be easily installed in a wound and adjusted in place to form fit a wide range of cavity wall thicknesses for protection against harmful contaminants.
These and other objects and aspects of the invention are accomplished in one embodiment by a surgical retractor liner and integral drape which can be inserted in an incision and incrementally adjusted tightly in place in the cavity wall and on the surrounding skin to prevent cross-contamination with body fluids and solids during surgery. It includes a flexible plastic film retractor liner impervious to microorganisms with opposite ends terminating at inner and outer resilient O-rings. The inner O-ring is installed in the incision by squeezing opposite sides together, inserting it through the incision and allowing it to expand around the inner, edge of the incision. The length of the retractor liner is selected to allow a portion to extend out of the incision for rolling down until it is tight against the outer edge of the incision and retracts the sides of the incision for widening the opening. A flexible plastic film skirt fixed at one end around the outer O-ring, and coaxial with the retractor liner, tapers outwardly toward the inner O-ring with the other end sealingly joining the rim of a centrally located aperture in a flexible drape. The extended length of the skirt is at least as long as the portion of the retractor liner fully extending out of the incision when the inner O-ring is expanded against the inner edge. This assures that the drape completely adheres to the surface around the incision and remains fixed in place by the retractor liner and by adhesive patches fixed to the drape. The size of the drape is sufficient to cover the area around the operating site and to prevent it from exposure to any contaminating fluids and tissue.
In another-embodiment, the retractor liner comprises a flexible liner of thin substantially elastic material, separate from the drape, secured at opposite open ends around resilient inner and outer O-rings.
In both embodiments, the outer O-ring in cross-section is generally circular with opposed flat sides in planes generally transverse to the extended length of the liner for restoring the outer O-ring to its preformed configuration when turned about the circumferential axis of rotation of the ring. The flat sides also provide gripping surfaces for manually turning the outer O-ring with greater ease, especially when the liner or the surgeon""s gloves are slippery. The retractor liner may be constructed in a single liner length with different circumferences for accommodating a wide range of incision sizes and cavity wall thicknesses.